McCrory speaks on leadership at Boy Scout fundraiser

Gov. Pat McCrory talks with Caleb Campbell, left and his brother Joshua Campbell of Boy Scout Troop No. 392 at the Caswell District of Lenoir County Leadership event on Tuesday at the Woodmen Community Center.

Janet S. Carter / The Free Press

By Wes Wolfe / Staff writer

Published: Tuesday, May 13, 2014 at 08:42 PM.

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Ask about an Eagle Scout speaking on leadership and humbling one’s self to lead, and the men and several women gathered Tuesday at the Woodmen Center could tell you, with pride, what to expect. Ask about an elected official doing the same, and the responses would no doubt be mixed.

Yet those assembled received a helping from both dishes — speaking were Eagle Scout Matthew Hodges of Troop 41 and Gov. Pat McCrory — at the annual fundraiser and leadership event for the Caswell District of the East Carolina Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

Hodges said as he grew older and assumed more and different responsibilities within Scouts, he developed a better understanding of what it took to lead and what made a good leader.

Hodges said he “realized that a leader is someone you look up to, someone you can always count on who will have the knowledge and experience that you need. The next year I was asked to be senior patrol leader of my group, and that was the funnest year of my scouting career.

“That’s when you learn all the skills you need — the organizational skills for meetings, the being prepared for meetings — and that’s when I realized you can take all these skills you learn in scouting and apply them to your school, your home, your community.”

McCrory, speaking with knowledge from a field that draws lights, cameras and attention, reflected on what he considered a societal trend of everyone seeking some amount of celebrity for themselves.

He noted that while he and other politicians fall in the trap of basking in the attention elective office brings, he learned a lesson when appearing at an event with evangelist Billy Graham during his first year as Charlotte mayor.

Ask about an Eagle Scout speaking on leadership and humbling one’s self to lead, and the men and several women gathered Tuesday at the Woodmen Center could tell you, with pride, what to expect.
Ask about an elected official doing the same, and the responses would no doubt be mixed.

Yet those assembled received a helping from both dishes — speaking were Eagle Scout Matthew Hodges of Troop 41 and Gov. Pat McCrory — at the annual fundraiser and leadership event for the Caswell District of the East Carolina Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

Hodges said as he grew older and assumed more and different responsibilities within Scouts, he developed a better understanding of what it took to lead and what made a good leader.

Hodges said he “realized that a leader is someone you look up to, someone you can always count on who will have the knowledge and experience that you need. The next year I was asked to be senior patrol leader of my group, and that was the funnest year of my scouting career.

“That’s when you learn all the skills you need — the organizational skills for meetings, the being prepared for meetings — and that’s when I realized you can take all these skills you learn in scouting and apply them to your school, your home, your community.”

McCrory, speaking with knowledge from a field that draws lights, cameras and attention, reflected on what he considered a societal trend of everyone seeking some amount of celebrity for themselves.

He noted that while he and other politicians fall in the trap of basking in the attention elective office brings, he learned a lesson when appearing at an event with evangelist Billy Graham during his first year as Charlotte mayor.

“As a matter of fact, in 1996, my first year as mayor of Charlotte, I was invited by Billy Graham to sit on the stage with him and introduce him at the Billy Graham crusade in front of 72,000 people at the then-Ericsson (Stadium) in downtown Charlotte,” McCrory said. “And I was so nervous.”

Along with McCrory and Graham was then-S.C. Gov. David Beasley. They went up to the stage in a golf cart together to kick off the event as spotlights shone down and thousands of people cheered.

“Back in the golf cart, me and the governor of South Carolina — we were just taking it all in, just waving and loving the attention, the 15 minutes of fame,” McCrory said. “And all of a sudden Billy Graham turned toward me and said, ‘You know what? I’m embarrassed. I’m embarrassed they’re cheering.’ They were cheering him, as opposed to what’s important, and that’s God.”

And in the spirit of continuing to educate and develop leaders among Boy Scouts in Lenoir and Greene counties, the luncheon crowd — many of themselves elected officials, community leaders and business owners — dug deep to cover the Caswell District’s annual budget.

“The East Carolina Council consists of 20 counties,” said John Marston, the district Friends of Scouting co-chairman. “In 2013 we served over 9,000 scouts with 3,000 volunteers. The East Carolina Council budget is over $2.26 million. The major donors are a who’s who of Eastern North Carolina. Caswell District is composed of Lenoir and Greene counties. Our share of the budget is $92,000, which is not a small feat in this economic climate.”

According to Marston and BB&T market president Brian Wiggins, the Caswell District eclipsed the $92,000 mark by the close of the event.

Wes Wolfe can be reached at 252-559-1075 and Wes.Wolfe@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter @WolfeReports.